Silent As The Moon

Chapter Six

"We've been walking for hours- shouldn't we sit down?" Kael asked. Lyrik shrugged.

"I don't get tired now, but fine." Kael's eyes scanned their surroundings, and he sat on the dirty forest floor. "What happened to your bike?" Lyrik remembered what he had said the night before.

"It's somewhere at the entrance of the woods," he explained, at the same time taking off his backpack and grabbing out a few almonds. He bit into one. "Do you want any?"

"No, thanks," Lyrik replied. She leaned against a lofty tree and closed her eyes, letting the gentle breeze slow her racing heartbeat, and listening to the sound of a bubbling stream.

The tree she was leaning on creaked, and she stopped, realizing that her death-touch, or whatever it was, was turning the sturdy tree hollow. Sadness flashed in her eyes.

"Let's get going," she said. She needed to do something, not just feel sorry for herself and think about trees. Kael nodded, bending down to close his backpack. Lyrik sighed and looked ahead; the forest only seemed to get darker.

"Where are we, exactly?" she asked hesitantly. Kael frowned.

"I mean- wait..." He checked his notebook and looked up, again. "Er..."

"Yes?"

"There's no waterfall on the map..."

"What?! You mean we're lost?!" Lyrik shouted, stomping over to peer over his shoulder at the sketched map. "What do you mean, there's no..."

"I mean there's literally no waterfall," he replied. "We just passed a waterfall, and there's no waterfall. So either the map is wrong, or-"

"We're not in the Barrier Woods," Lyrik shut her eyes and clutched her head. "And you already told me that you made sure the map was official."

"So we're lost," Kael finished. "I mean, we can just retrace our steps..."

"We're past the waterfall, we can't even hear it anymore. And everything looks the same. Tall pine tree, tall pine tree, tall pine tree, tall pine tree, big rock, repeat."

Kael didn't argue.

"Well, we can wait for someone to find us?" he suggested. Lyrik shook her head. "Why not?"

"Because-"

"HELLO! WE ARE LOST! WE ARE TRYING TO GET TO M'DAOL! IF ANYONE CAN HEAR US PLEASE HELP US! HELLO! WE ARE LOST! WE ARE TR-"

"Shut up!" Lyrik hissed in his ear. "If someone is here, they're probably M'Doallians. We're probably in M'Doal, Kael. Where else could we be?"

Kael blinked understandingly. "So where should we go now, do you think?" he asked. "I mean, we're lost..."

"Well, we were going north. So we keep heading north, I guess?" She paused. "Wait, where's north..."

They exchanged a worried glance.

"I mean, we came from south," Kael began. "We were heading north, yeah. So..." He pointed straight ahead. "We keep going forward. Or," he realized, "the stars are out, a bit. It's hard to see them, but where's the North Star?"

Lyrik looked up, scanning the sky. It was pinkish, but still more day than dusk. "There." She gestured to a bright star. 

"So, we go in that direction."

Lyrik stopped to say something, shook her head, and they began to walk, slowly, unsurely. The trees got bushier the further into the forest they walked. A bird flew overhead, and both of them jumped, then calmed down when realizing it was only a bird. 

"So why do you think you can see me?" Lyrik wondered. "Better question, why can't other people see me?"

"I mean... Because you're a g- Silver Eyes," Kael responded quietly. 

"I mean, there must be some scientific explanation. The reason I'm invisible must be because the sunlight goes through my body, but then how do you see me?"

"Have you ever heard of magic?" Kael asked. Lyrik snorted.

"Sure, waterkeepers, firekeepers, skykeepers and icekeepers. Not invisibility. That's toddler-magic, fake magic."

"Well, you're very sure about that," Kael replied. Lyrik shrugged.

"I was a little kid. I believed in magic. But it's just not real, besides keepers." Kael sighed and looked ahead once more.

"We should stop for the night. We'll probably be there around tomorrow morning? I think?" he guessed. Lyrik shrugged again, refusing to tell him that she was terrified of sleeping in the woods. Either way, she couldn't sleep, now that she was dead.

When she opened her eyes in the morning she was somewhere else.

She was shocked that she had been able to sleep- at least it was possible, even if she was never tired- but she was even more shocked as she woke up to see a crystal chandelier dangling above her.

"Kael?" she asked, frozen in fear. Where am I? 

"Uhh... It's not just me, right? We're... Not where we camped?" 

Lyrik nodded ever so slightly, and got up. She was on the cold floor. It was pristine, with jewels studded into it, but polished so much there were no dents.

Are those diamonds?! she wondered, jumping just from the thought. Kael gasped, drawing her attention.

"Who the hell would be rich enough to live-"

"You're awake." The companions turned. Their fur would've been bristling if they were cats. 

A teen boy, probably around eighteen, stood by a dark oak door, his pale hand on the golden knob. His eyes were green like emeralds, shining almost mischievously, with a lively glint.

"You're welcome. You would've died, sleeping in the woods. You must be pretty stupid."

"Where are we?" was, surprisingly, Lyrik's first question. The boy blinked.

"M'Daol. C'Doal, to be exact."

The capital. Of M'Daol. Lyrik stumbled back. 

"You're M'Daollian."

"Correct."

"Wait, who are you?" Kael inquired. "Is this your house?"

"Yes."

"Who are you?" Lyrik repeated Kael's question, her brow furrowing. As the boy opened his mouth, Lyrik jumped. "I know who you are," she whispered.

"Who?" both boys asked.

"You can hear me- that means that you have to be Mykel. P... Prince of M'Daol."

Oof, I know you must hate me for that cliffhanger. Sorry it took me so long to publish, had a case of writer's block... How'dya like the chapter? Please comment, vote, and keep reading!